Patient support apparatuses, such as hospital beds, stretchers, cots, tables, and wheelchairs, facilitate care of patients in a health care setting. Conventional patient support apparatuses comprise a base, a support frame upon which the patient is supported, a lift assembly for lifting and lowering the support frame relative to the base, a patient support deck operatively attached to the support frame, and actuators arranged to move sections of the patient support deck relative to the support frame.
It is sometimes desirable for the actuators to move the sections of the patient support deck to a predetermined maximum raised configuration to promote enhanced patient comfort. However, conventional actuators used in connection with patient support apparatuses are often capable of moving the patient support deck to positions beyond the maximum raised configuration. In order to prevent movement beyond the maximum raised configuration, and possibly harm to patients, conventional patient support apparatuses often require the use of actuators with integrated mechanical stops and/or electronic sensors, such as limit switches. However, actuators with integrated mechanical stops may be difficult to adapt for different types of patient support apparatuses, thus necessitating the use of different actuators for different applications. Moreover, electronic sensors may be relatively expensive to implement into patient support apparatuses, and often fail or require adjustment after prolonged use.
While patient support apparatuses have generally performed well for their intended purpose, there remains a need in the art for a patient support apparatus which overcome the disadvantages in the prior art.